Beverley and Prince Bishop school employs Sotech wall plank
The new Beverley and Prince Bishop co-located school building in Middlesbrough, UK has used Optima IPC extruded aluminium wall plank from the British manufacturer Sotech.
Developed as part of Middlesbrough Council’s ‘Building Schools for the Future’ programme, each school remains separate within a single new building, which has two wings, with separate entrances for each. Beverley School features Key Stage 1 to 3 classrooms designed for autistic children, a post-16 unit on the first floor, and a new sports hall. Prince Bishop’s wing provides a mixture of vocational and standard classrooms with chill-out areas and a two-court sports hall.
Keeping in mind the high number of users, the Optima plank from Sotech has been specified to stand up to the rigours of a busy school environment. The Optima plank has longitudinal joints and simple connectors, which offers continuous seamless alignment. It also claims to have low-maintenance cost.
Based on a 200mm module, over 800 square metre of the extruded wall plank was used in a natural anodised finish. The secret fix system of the plank can be laid vertically, horizontally or diagonally and features a tough, durable, vandal resistant finish. The planks have been installed down to ground level, offering impact resistance not demonstrated by a rolled or pressed aluminium system. Quick and accurate installation was ensured with the provision of a fully adjustable support system comprising of aluminium rails and helping hand brackets.
